RS #474: Manu Chao, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza

Manu Chao, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza
He’s trying to woo the birds with his sweet, sweet guitar.

#474

Manu Chao, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza

Release Date: 2001
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes

Impressions:  At first, this album came off as generic worldbeat, but with samples (“Merry Blues,”) but sort of warmed up and seemed to cover a lot of stylistic ground (reggae, jazz, rock, latin, etc)–albeit in a loping way, low-key way. So, sort of like Joe Strummer and the Mescalaros minus Strummer. Sometimes it sounded like a leaner version of The Clash’s “Sandanista.” Some of it seems sort-of-political also, but since I can’t speak French/Spanish/Italian/Arabic/Galician/Portuguese, I can only guess what most of the lyrics are about. Sound-wise, it’s a mix of horns, samples, scratchy guitar, acoustic strumming, plus a slide whistle here and there. Kind a fun mess with short songs that flow into each other, although sometimes this floaty vibe kept them from really soaring (or even having choruses in some cases.) Not being a good with any other language besides English, I think some of this misses me content-wise, but I like the polymorphous blend of styles. It seems kind of light-weight and transitional, but still well-made in a way that few people could pull off without seeming like mushy background music for a Starbucks.

Starred Songs: “Mi Vida,” “Mr. Bobby,” “Me Gustas Tú,” “Bixo”
Sneaky Track: “La Chintal”
Should this album be on the list?  Maybe. It’s a unique vision, but its lack of urgency doesn’t make it a slam dunk for me. I like that it’s on the list for variety.
Will you listen to this again:  I might, but more likely I’d sprinkle its short songs in with the iTunes.
Verdict:  Light-weight, accessable Euro-reggae-latin-world melange of sounds that goes down easy…maybe too easy.
Rating: ★★★